My dear readers, I am not going to lie. I’ve been in a huge blogging funk these last few weeks. First, I was down for the count with a nasty sinus infection that kept me from being in the test kitchen as much as I wanted. When I was in the test kitchen, I had a lot of failures. It has also been crazy dark around here even for November so shooting photos in natural light has been a huge challenge that I have not always won. All of this complaining to say, I think I am finally coming out of it and this recipe is the reason. The testing went well, I had great natural light for photos and dang it pasta just makes me happy. I love how this mushroom and chicken sausage balsamic pasta has so much flavor from a gorgeous creamy sauce and a whole pound of yummy cremini mushrooms. Best of all, it was really simple and pretty quick!
I served it with extra parmesan on top and oh my goodness I could not wait to dice into a bowl of this stuff. The wine, aromatics and cream cut through the balsamic perfectly for a really balanced, flavorful and silky sauce. The meaty mushrooms and chicken sausage really made it comforting and satisfying. Hope you all love this mushroom and chicken sausage balsamic pasta too! xoxo
This is an incredible mushroom and chicken sausage balsamic pasta dinner packed with flavor and the gorgeous, creamy balsamic sauce as the star.
- 2 tablespoons butter divided
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 links chicken sausage sliced into thin rounds
- 1 pound cremini mushrooms thinly sliced
- 1 whole onion diced small
- 3 cloves garlic smashed
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 2 tablespoons red wine
- 1 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese plus additional for topping
- 1 pound linguine or other long pasta like spaghetti
First, get a large pot of water on the stove to boil for the pasta. Let it come to a boil while you make the sauce. Then heat 1 tablespoon of the butter and the olive oil in a large skillet with deep sides over medium high heat. Brown the sausage rounds in it for about 6-8 minutes until they cook through and develop some color on the outside. Remove them to a plate and set them aside. Add in the other tablespoon of butter and let it melt before you pour in the mushrooms. Let the mushrooms cook down and brown for a couple of minutes before you add in the onion, garlic, salt, pepper, parsley and red wine. Let that whole mixture cook for 6-8 minutes while you stir it occasionally.
Return the chicken sausage to the pan and pour in the balsamic, heavy cream and parmesan. Stir it all well, then bring it to a low boil. Reduce it to a simmer and let it gently bubble for 10 minutes, stirring it every so often. The water should be boiling at this point. Salt it generously, then cook the linguine in it until tender for about 8 minutes. Drain it, then toss it in the pan with the sauce. Let it absorb the sauce for a couple of minutes while you stir it all together, then take it off the heat. Scoop into bowls and top with more parmesan. Serve immediately and enjoy!!
I know EXACTLY what you mean, Leigh! I’m still getting over some sort of upper respiratory infection and blogging was the last thing on my mind. I have a chicken soup on the blog that you may want to check out for the next time you’re sick (I hope it’s no time soon, though). Feel better, Sweetie!
Oh I definitely will check it out, I am always down for a good chicken soup in the winter. Thanks very much, Marta!!
We eat a lot of pasta in our house. I don’t eat meat, but my family would really enjoy this!
You could totally omit the chicken sausage and keep it vegetarian!
This looks like an amazing comfort food dish! The sausage and mushroom combo is always a hit. I can’t wait to try it out – thanks!
Thanks very much!!
You had me at mushrooms and garlic! This pasta looks absolutely delicious! I think I may try making it with some gluten-free pasta!
Oh yay!! Let me know how it is with the GF pasta. I love quinoa pasta.
That looks really good. I hope you snap out of your funk soon, we all go through it!
Thank you so much, I appreciate that!!